Journey of the Seraph
by Artemis Elric
Summary: We all know that z-skit where Lloyd asks Kratos to travel around the world on a boat with him, right? This story makes it possible, and so the two of them set off on their journey, to learn more about the new world... and each other. Oyako! ON HIATUS


A/N: Post-game; takes place several months after the events of the game have reached their close. Palmacosta, along with all other cities destroyed during the game, has been rebuilt, the process of which was greatly aided by the sudden increase in mana. Lloyd used the power of the Eternal Sword to send Derris-Kharlan, along with the remaining Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals, into space, but Yuan and Kratos were both convinced to stay behind and monitor the progress of the combined worlds. Kratos managed to reverse the effects of Aionis and has been restored to his normal human state.

Also, the sequel has no bearing on this fanfiction whatsoever.

--

It was early afternoon on the Sylvarant side of the reunited world. The sky was clear, the sun burning brightly amidst the blue expanse. Its unobstructed rays caused the waters of the ocean below to glitter, and the slight breeze formed waves that rippled gently across the peaceful scene.

Then, suddenly, a frantic cry shattered the silence.

"_Dammit_! We're sinking we're sinking we're sinking!!"

"Lloyd, I _told_ you this was a bad idea—"

"Oh, shut up! Aagh, we're sinking! Turn it around, turn it around!"

"I _can't_—Lloyd, _no_!"

**Tales of Symphonia:** Journey of the Seraph

It was a hot summer day in Palmacosta, and the port city was packed with seafaring tourists. Most of the large boats were being rented out daily, and several of the smaller ones were being used privately by their owners, who didn't particularly care for the busy tourist season. And this year was especially busy, probably _the_ most important year for the tourist industry since… well, since there _was_ a tourist industry. For the first time, people from Tethe'alla were visiting Sylvarant, and vice-versa. They had only just begun to grasp why this was now possible, and they still had not given their new world a name, but it was the first step the reunited worlds took towards each other, and everyone wanted to be a part of it.

Especially those who were responsible for it all.

Two of them were currently in Palmacosta. The elder of the two was leaning against a wooden post at the edge of the pier, watching with varying degrees of amusement as the younger argued with ship owners, trying to buy a boat, or rent a boat, or at least get some materials with which to _build_ a boat.

They were also related, but still in the process of figuring that out.

Lloyd stormed back over to Kratos, upset that his plan couldn't even start out working right. "It's no use," he complained. "All the boats are taken, all the wood's being used. I guess we should just go to another port."

Kratos unfolded his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that what I said from the very beginning?"

Lloyd grimaced. "Well, yeah," he admitted, "but… I like Palmacosta! And besides, I wanted to see how Chocolat and the others were doing, especially since the reconstruction took place."

"Well, what do you suggest we do now?" Kratos looked down at him expectantly, resting an Exsphere-less hand on his hip. "I assume you still plan on taking this trip?"

"Of course!" Lloyd insisted. "I'm not letting one crowded boat dock stop me!"

Kratos sighed, glancing out at the wide ocean before him. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less from you, Lloyd," he sighed. Returning his gaze to his son, he added, "But really. What now?"

Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck in irritation. "Well, like I said, I guess we'll just have to—"

"Hey, you two!"

Kratos looked up, and Lloyd turned around to see a thin, reedy-looking man with an odd tuft of orange hair at the top of his head and a dirty, cracked monocle perched in front of one eye.

"I hear you're looking for a boat," the man continued once he saw that they'd noticed him. "Right?"

"Yes," replied Kratos warily. "Do you have one?"

The man beamed, revealing teeth in much the same state as his eyeglass. "Sure do! An' I'll sell it to you for a mere 3000 Gald!"

"3000 Gald!" Lloyd exclaimed. "That's really cheap! Let's get it!"

"Wait a minute," Kratos warned, putting a restraining hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "If he's selling it now for that amount of money, we should take a look at it first. It may be worth even less."

The man looked insulted. "She's in fine condition!" he protested indignantly. "If she weren't, I wouldn't even consider selling her, an' that's the truth!"

"See?" Lloyd beamed. "Come _on_, Kratos, let's buy it before someone else does!"

Kratos frowned. "I still think we should go somewhere else first. Izoold, perhaps. It's small enough that there won't be as many people…."

"Well, even if the boat isn't perfect, it can still get us to Izoold, right?" Lloyd reasoned. "We can get supplies and build our own once we're there. And besides," he added meaningfully, "you still owe me. Big time."

Kratos hesitated. "But… you did forgive me—"

"That doesn't mean you don't owe me!" Lloyd grinned at him over his shoulder while reaching into his pocket for the necessary Gald.

After a brief mental debate, Kratos decided to remain silent as his son paid for the boat. He _did_ owe him, after all. And besides, Lloyd had a point. It had to be enough to get them to Izoold, right?

--

Wrong.

"Lloyd, stop pulling that!" Kratos shouted, tugging the rope out of his son's hands. "You're going to pull the sail down!"

"But we have to turn around!" Lloyd whined, looking fearfully at the rising level of water in the bottom of the boat. "We're sinking!"

"Calm down," Kratos instructed as calmly as he could. "We can still make it to Izoold. All we have to do is find the leak—if we had a water mage around, there'd be no problem, but as it is, we have to make do with what we have."

"But _you_ can't even use magic anymore!" Lloyd cried.

"How do you think all other human sailors do it?" Kratos said irritably. "Other than not buy a cheap boat in the first place."

"_I_ don't know, I'm not a sailor! I thought _you_ knew everything!"

"That's a dangerous thing to presume about anyone, but at least I have common sense. Now feel for a hole or crack in the bottom of the boat."

There was a splash, then a pause as Lloyd grudgingly did as his father instructed. "Oh, here!" he exclaimed almost immediately. "No, wait… here! But… oh, here, too! And…."

Kratos groaned and covered his face with one hand.

It was going to be a long journey.

--

"Finally!" Lloyd breathed, staggering onto the shore. "We made it… we're alive…."

Kratos said nothing, but almost lost his footing as he stepped out of the sodden vessel that had carried them there. And he'd thought opposing Mithos was hard. That trip across the ocean had lasted only thirty, forty minutes, but somehow it felt just as long the 4000 years spent as part of Cruxis. He and Lloyd had ended up desperately trying to cover all the leaks while keeping the boat on course, which proved to be increasingly difficult as time went on and the boat really started to fall apart.

Kratos shook his head, and turned to see the small vessel drifting away from shore. "Lloyd!"

Three more leaks suddenly shot water up into the middle of the boat, and with a faint snapping sound, it sank unceremoniously beneath the waves.

Lloyd turned, wearily. "Yeah?"

"… Never mind." He shouldered the pack containing his belongings—he hadn't risked leaving it in the boat—and followed the teen up the sandy path to the inn. They hadn't discussed it, but they had reached an automatic, unspoken agreement that a few hours of rest, and maybe a couple of Apple Gels, would be necessary before they attempted anything further.

Yes, a few hours of rest… during which Lloyd would sleep, and Kratos would try to figure out how the two of them were supposed to build a boat that would take them around the world.

--

Lloyd awoke from his nap slowly, feeling sore but oddly refreshed. He glanced over at Kratos, who was sitting in the chair against the wall in exactly the same position he had been in when Lloyd went to sleep. He appeared to be deep in thought, but then he always did. For some reason this dampened Lloyd's renewed optimism—didn't the man ever rest, or relax, or let his guard down? Ever? Of course, Kratos being alert had saved their lives more times than Lloyd could count, but still…. Although that was half the reason he wanted Kratos to come on this trip in the first place: to figure out who he was. Lloyd sat up, and Kratos looked over at him expectantly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Lloyd jumped out of bed and slid into his boots. It didn't take much to restore his enthusiasm. "Let's go build a boat!"

Kratos followed his son out the door. "I don't think one can build a boat in the span of a few hours."

Lloyd ignored him, or perhaps he didn't hear; in any case, he bounded on ahead down the stairs. When he flung open the front door, however, and saw how dark it was outside, Lloyd came to an abrupt halt. "What?" he exclaimed, dismayed. "It's still yesterday?"

"You didn't sleep through the night, if that's what you mean," Kratos said, stopping behind him. "Only for a few hours. We were to get supplies tonight, then begin building in the morning. I assumed you knew that."

Lloyd blushed. "O-of course I did. I just… thought I'd slept through the night, that's all."

Kratos remained silent, and Lloyd, still blushing, exited the inn and made his way down to the wharf, his father close behind.

"Hey, Kratos," he asked once they'd reached the dock, "what happened to our boat?"  
"It sunk."

"… Ah." Wisely choosing to make no further comment, they headed down to the small building set apart from the pier, where, if Kratos remembered correctly, there lived a man who built almost all of his own boats. With any luck, he'd have extra wood they could purchase from him, and he might even be willing to help them build it.

Upon reaching the door, Lloyd knocked and waited impatiently. He didn't have to wait long: the door swung open and a young man appeared in the doorway. He had medium-length blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, and dark brown eyes that gleamed with excitement. "Yeah?" He stared at them for a moment, and then suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, I recognize you! You're the ones that came by here a few months ago as part of the Chosen's group! Is it really true that you're all responsible for…" he gestured at their clearly prospering surroundings, "for all this?"

"… Yeah, kinda," Lloyd admitted sheepishly.

The man's expression became one of awe. "Damn," he said admiringly, "I never thought I'd get the chance to see you again! Why'd you come here, of all places?"

"Well," Lloyd began, "it's kinda a long story, but…."

"Perhaps we could come inside?" Kratos queried politely.

"Oh! Oh, yeah, sure!" the man stammered, moving away from the door and letting them pass. "I'm Trent, by the way."

Lloyd headed over to the worktable at the side of the room, clearly interested in the large wooden frame that lay on it. "I'm Lloyd Irving," he said as Trent pulled up a second chair.

"Lloyd Irving?… Hey, you're Dirk's kid, right?" Trent asked, motioning for Lloyd to sit down.

Lloyd looked pleased that someone noticed. "Yeah! You know him?"

"Hell yeah! I buy all my metal from him—he's the only one I'll take it from. I'm telling you, no one crafts bearings like he does. You're lucky, Lloyd," Trent added enviously. "I wish I had a dad like that. I bet he taught you all sorts of stuff!"

"Well…." Lloyd averted his gaze, grinning with obvious pride. "Only a little. I'm gonna go back and learn more, though. Maybe you could come with me and he could teach you some too!"

Looking startled at the offer, Trent smiled but shook his head. "Nah, that's okay. I work mostly with wood, anyway."

"What is it that you're working on now?"

Kratos' voice, as impassive as ever, slipped into the conversation with apparent ease, but Lloyd was struck with a sudden wave of guilt. Keeping his eyes fixed on the floor, he tried to focus on Trent's response.

"Oh, this?" The attempted casualty was belied by the enthusiasm evident in his voice. Lloyd looked up to see Trent's eyes lit up with the same fervor they had had when he first answered the door. "It's… it's a new model I've been working on," he explained, unable to keep from grinning. "I'm really excited about it. If everything goes as planned, it should be much more lightweight and aerodynamic than the current models, but still maintain the durability of the original."

"That sounds like a really good idea," Kratos agreed, nodding, still not quite looking at Lloyd.

"You think so?" Trent seemed thrilled at such a complement from someone he obviously admired. "Thanks! It might sound easy, but hell, the design sure took me a while!"

"Speaking of boats," Lloyd spoke up, recalling why they had gone there in the first place, "do you think we could buy some wood and supplies from you? We're planning on building a boat of our own and sailing around the world!"

Trent's eyes went wide, obviously impressed. "Yeah? That's great! Sure, I can help. What exactly do you need?"

Lloyd shook his head with a laugh. "No idea! I've never built one before."

Trent's eyes went even wider. "Never built a boat before?"

Lloyd laughed again. "No, never. Most people haven't, you know."

"I guess, but…." Trent shook his head. "You don't know what you're missing. You've definitely come to the right place!"

Lloyd grinned. Trent's excitement was infectious.

"How much will it all cost?" Kratos asked, conscious of a certain short-lived 3000 Gald.

"Cost?" Trent repeated in disbelief. "You two helped regenerate and reunite the worlds! I can't take money from you!"

Kratos frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Well, then, thank you." He nodded at the young man, who beamed at the two of them. "All right then!" Trent declared with an expression that Lloyd found eerily reminiscent of Raine, clapping his hands together. "Let's get started!"

--

Lloyd hadn't ever really given it much thought, but he had always assumed that one could simply nail some planks of wood together and throw in a sail, and if it floated, you had a boat.

He very quickly learned otherwise.

"Hey, hey, wait!" Trent called out as he tried to attach the sail to the main mast. "You can't do that yet! First we have to finish the hull and remove the keel—_then_ we attach the mast, _then_ we add the sail."

Lloyd put down the rope sheepishly, glancing at Kratos, who didn't appear to have noticed. The former angel was busy filing down a plank of wood, his attention seemingly fixed on the long, smooth strokes. "Right!" Lloyd corrected himself with a grin. "So… what's the hull again?"

Unseen by the others, a corner of Kratos' mouth quirked upward as he continued to carefully sand the wood that was to become part of their boat.

The next week went by in much the same way as Lloyd and Kratos, under Trent's close supervision, steadily constructed their boat. It ended up being based on the new model that Trent had designed; at first, both father and son denied the offer, but the architect soon convinced them that their trip would be the perfect opportunity to test it.

"But if it's being tested, it might… it might fall apart in the middle of the ocean!" Lloyd exclaimed in a worried tone. The last thing Lloyd wanted was a repeat of their journey to Izoold.

Trent gave him a /look/. Lloyd recoiled. "I can _guarantee_ you," Trent said, "that she won't fall apart. She should work fine—the only question is whether the combination of new and old features will be enough to make her a clearly superior craft."

Lloyd nodded, and then added jokingly, "You still can't _guarantee_ it, though. Like, what if we put holes in it? Then it would fall apa—"

The look Trent gave him then caused the previous one to pale utterly in comparison. Lloyd positively quailed. **"**_**Do not even think about putting holes in my ship.**_**"**

Lloyd nodded again, timorously. "O-okay."

Then Trent grinned widely, in sharp contrast to the tension that had surrounded him moments before. "Don't worry, I'm sure you won't!" he laughed good-naturedly.

Lloyd nodded a third time, warily, making a mental note never to allow him to meet Raine. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kratos laughing silently, and he felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

Trent glanced out the window. "Damn, it's later than I thought! Come on, let's finish this part up—we've still got a ways to go!"

So they continued to build their boat, and by the time the week was over, it was sitting outside the house in the sunlight, complete at last.

It was small, just barely big enough for two people; the original frame had been constructed for one person, and Trent was hesitant about altering the design too much. But neither Kratos nor Lloyd even considered complaining. It looked simple, yes, but they now knew that there was nothing simple about it. One sail, one small room where they could shelter in case of rain and where they stored their supplies, but otherwise fairly empty. Once in the harbor, it would look very much like every other boat there, but Lloyd took pride in the knowledge that he himself built this one, he and… and Kratos. With Trent's help, of course.

The evening of the day their boat was finished found Lloyd and Kratos seated at the small table in their room at the inn. On the wooden surface between them lay a paper construct of their own—a map of the combined worlds.

"We could go around this way," Lloyd mused, pointing out a possible route. "Oh, but then we'd end up somewhere over here… hmm."

"What if we went this way?" Kratos suggested, gently brushing aside Lloyd's hand with his own. "Then we'd finish up around here, right by… Dirk's house."

"Huh." Lloyd peered at the path his father had traced. "That could work… yeah, looks good!" He grinned across the table. "All right! I can't wait to get going!"

Kratos sighed. "You're always optimistic at first. You're sure you won't get bored?"

"Of course!" Lloyd argued. "It's not like we'll be stuck on the boat for days at a time."Kratos was silent for a moment, then: "How long will this trip take, anyway?"

"Does it matter?" Lloyd's grin was back. "I'm not in any hurry." Then, as a thought struck him, his mood dampened. "You do… want to go with me, right?"

"I… I do, I do," Kratos assured him a little too quickly. "Anyway, we've got the route planned, so let's get some sleep. With luck, we can be out of here before noon tomorrow."

"… Okay."

But as far as that night was concerned, at least, Lloyd didn't last very long at all. Kratos glanced up from the sailing guide Trent had given them to see the candle burning low, and his son sprawled across their maps, snoring. He permitted himself a small smile, shaking his head as he puched out his chair and got to his feet. Then he yawned unexpectedly, startling himself. He wasn't used to being tired, sleeping because he needed to, not because he felt like it. Lloyd certainly seemed to be enjoying it, he thought wryly, judging from the sound of his snoring. Kratos was sure that his son hadn't gotten that habit from Anna, and he didn't think _he_ snored; if he did, Anna had never mentioned it, and neither had Yuan, for that matter. And after 4000 years, he felt sure that the subject would have come up.

Lloyd always quieted down after a while, though. Kratos knew, after spending weeks watching over the Chosen's group, that no more than an hour would pass before his son fell into a silence marked only by deep, regular breaths, as though the earlier snoring was just for show.

Even as a child—though he was little more than that now, Kratos reminded himself—Lloyd had had an irritating habit of sleeping so shallowly that the second he or Anna laid him down in his makeshift crib, he would wake up and begin wailing again, and wouldn't stop until one of them returned. Kratos had learned to wait until long after he thought Lloyd was asleep, until the boy's breathing told him it was safe to lie him back down.

Kratos wondered, with sudden amusement, how Dirk had dealt with the child, and it was this thought that snapped him back into reality. With a start, he realized he'd just been standing there, staring at Lloyd while the candle burned lower and wax pooled on the table. Shaking his head to clear it of any remaining memories, he rounded the table to stand, somewhat uneasily, next to his son. He rested a gloved hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Lloyd."

The brunet stirred, but didn't wake; instead, he rolled over to rest the other side of his head on the table. Kratos could just barely see the patch of red on Lloyd's cheek that had come from using the maps as a pillow.

Suddenly Kratos was reluctant to wake him. He cast a nervous glance over at Lloyd's bed, just a few feet away, then slipped an arm around his son, easing him away from the table until he was able to lift him from the chair. Lloyd made a soft sound of protest, but just once; then his head lolled to the side and he rested it against the nearest surface with a sigh, which just happened to be Kratos' shoulder.

Kratos could feel a drop of sweat trickle down his hairline at the unconcious gesture, and warily carried Lloyd over to his cot. Then he lowered the boy on top of the light blanket, and had only just begun to straighten up when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw that Lloyd had a tight hold on his jacket and a determined furrow in his forehead. Kratos frowned and pulled away, until at last the boy's hand relaxed, and he let go.

His father turned to leave the moment he was released, but then he hesitated, and lingered a minute longer to pull off his son's boots and set them on the floor at the foot of the bed. He'd just passed by the table on his way to the other side of the room when the candle flickered and went out; he paused a moment, then fumbled for his bed with a soft laugh. Not being able to see in the dark, needing to sleep, taking care of his son… they may have defeated Mithos and united the two worlds, but there were other changes that took a lot more getting used to.

--

A/N: So what will happen once the two of them set out on their journey? Humor, angst, arguments, and above all, the oyako fluff that every fangirl adores. Will Lloyd ever feel at ease around his dad? Will Kratos ever get over himself? Find out as _Journey of the Seraph_ continues! But only, of course, if you take it upon yourself to review, review, review! Until next time,

Artemis


End file.
